NHC part of consortium to explore innovative approaches to resident scrutiny 

The NHC is part of a consortium of northern landlords and partners seeking to transform how residents can influence the services they receive. 

 The group, led by Together Housing, has secured funding from the government’s Social Housing Innovation Fund to explore innovative approaches to resident scrutiny. 

 Four housing association partners Together Housing, Vico Homes, Incommunities and Leeds Federated will use the Government funding of over £100,000 to test a range of resident‑led methods.  The NHC, the Healthy Homes Initiative at the University of Huddersfield and tenant engagement expert Yvonne Davies from YD Consultancy are also part of the partnership.  

 The project will seek to make scrutiny more flexible, accessible and reflective of the wider tenant experience, supporting the move away from traditional scrutiny models that can often rely on the views of a smaller number of engaged residents. The approach aims to develop new approaches that enable quicker, more effective and more inclusive scrutiny. 

A key focus is widening participation so that scrutiny reflects the experiences of residents with different backgrounds, schedules and needs. This includes trialling flexible formats that fit around work and caring responsibilities, as well as ways for residents to raise issues and shape services.  

One of the project’s major innovations will be see if a Rapid Response Scrutiny model can be developed to help landlords act more quickly on urgent or high‑impact concerns. 

The partnership will also test community-based scrutiny approaches, giving residents a stronger voice on local service issues such a grounds maintenance or tackling Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). The intention is to pilot a joint scrutiny review with external partners such as local authorities or the Police.  

Residents will play a key role in the project through a Lived Experience Group made of up of representatives of the four landlords. Residents will be recruited in April for the Group.   

 

Tracy Harrison Chief Executive at Northern Housing Consortium added: “We’re pleased to be part of this project as making sure tenants have a strong voice that makes an impact has been a longstanding priority for the NHC. We look forward to sharing learning which will support our members to develop their approach to resident engagement and scrutiny.” 

 

Daniel Klemm, Director of Customer Experience and Communications from Together Housing Group said: “We are proud to be leading this partnership. The investment from the Social Housing Innovation Fund enables us to work closely with residents, landlords and partner organisations to develop scrutiny models that truly reflect the priorities and lived experiences of our residents. Our focus is on creating practical, inclusive and effective ways for residents to shape the decisions that influence their homes and communities.” 

 

Professor Philip Brown from the University of Huddersfield said: “This project creates an important link between innovation and ongoing policy debates around resident voice and accountability. We’re proud that we can support this important project, particularly in the dissemination phase, by hosting a major event on the outcome of the work in late March 2027.”   

 

Tenant engagement expert Yvonne Davies from YD consultants is also playing a key role in the project.  Yvonne commented: “I am looking forward to working with tenants from Together Housing, Vico, Leeds Federated and Incommunities to try out new and innovative scrutiny approaches over the next year.” 

NHC at UKREiiF – housing at the centre of northern growth  

The NHC took part in UKREiiF, the UK’s real estate and infrastructure forum, promoting the role of housing partnerships and regeneration in driving northern growth.  

We started off with a panel session Housing Partnerships: Unlocking Growth Across the North, chaired by our head of housing partnerships Satty Rai with housing partnership chairs Charlie Norman, John Jonson, Nick Atkin and Rachel Dennis.  

The session highlighted the breadth of offer from housing partnerships, with examples of working to together to create jobs and upskill communities, such as a skills academy in the North East, alongside focus on housing and regeneration. The links between housing and transport, including how new transport links can unlock new homes and regeneration were discussed. There was also reflection on how the different areas are at different stages in the devolution journey. Six years ago in Yorkshire there was no devolution, whereas in Manchester devolution is well established. There is a tripartite agreement between health, housing and the combined authority, and housing is embedded at the heart of the mayor’s ten-year strategy.  

NHC Executive Director (Policy and External Relations) Patrick Murray was on the panel for L&Q’s ‘10 Years of Good Growth in Greater Manchester’ session. Patrick highlighted how devolution and partnerships are critical to growth in the North. He gave an update on Renew, our inquiry which explored how housing-led regeneration can enable the housing sector in the North to do even more to deliver growth, help tackle the housing crisis, and create thriving communities across the North.  

A big thank you to Yorkshire Housing for hosting our member roundtable with the National Housing Bank and Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government. It was useful discussion focusing on how we can scale up delivery of new homes and how the bank can work with combined authorities and housing partnerships in a place-based way.  

North East tour showcases regeneration opportunities and challenges 

Members from across the North East came together for the first Renew Regeneration Site Tour. This was hosted by the North East Housing Partnership, offering a valuable opportunity to see how housing-led regeneration is transforming communities while also highlighting delivery challenges. 

At Cleadon Park in South Shields, the visit demonstrated the long-term impact of sustained investment and strong partnership working. Once one of the most deprived areas in the country, the estate has been transformed by replacing more than 500 outdated homes with around 750 new properties.  A strong focus on community engagement has been central to this success, helping to improve wellbeing, opportunity and pride in the area.  

We also heard about plans for regeneration in Felling, to make sure the right homes are in place to complement other improvements to the town centre, including through Pride in Place funding. However, scheme viability is proving challenging, making it difficult to get much-needed new homes off the ground. 

The final visits to Bensham and Saltwell showed how innovative partnerships are unlocking development, with new, high-quality homes bringing long-vacant sites back into use and supporting more inclusive, sustainable communities. Development of social housing, including homes specifically tailored for the area’s orthodox Jewish community, have acted as a catalyst for development of further new homes for private sale, which are in high demand. This shows the economic and social value of replacing homes that no longer meet the needs of communities. 

Overall, the tour reinforced that housing-led regeneration can deliver lasting change, but greater support and investment will be critical to unlocking its full potential. We are conducting more tours across the North.

The King’s Speech 2026 – NHC on-the-day briefing

The Government’s legislative programme announced today aims to address nationally identified priorities, such as national security and living standards. However, there were some relevant announcements for the housing sector in the North.

These announcements include:

  • a Social Housing Renewal Bill to protect social housing stock by enacting Right to Buy reforms and giving housing providers greater confidence to build new homes.
  • plans to reform the leasehold system through the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, marking one of the most significant reforms to property law in decades.
  • an Energy Independence Bill, to scale-up homegrown renewable energy and protect living standards.
  • other flagship reforms centred on national security, energy independence, and strengthening public services.

Our on-the-day briefing provides you with an overview of the key announcements highlighting what they mean for housing providers and professionals across the North.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the details in the King’s Speech, please contact: Patrick Murray, Executive Director (Policy & External Relations), Northern Housing Consortium.

Read the full on-the-day briefing here.